Conceptual and Methodological Challenges of Family Research
Presented by Kathleen Knafl, PhD, FAAN
Kathleen Knafl, PhD, FAAN is the Frances Hill Fox Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also teaches in the PhD program. Dr. Knafl’s research focuses on family management of childhood chronic illness. In collaboration with her colleagues Janet Deatrick and Agatha Gallo she developed the Family Management Style Framework, and has completed a series of studies funded by both public and private sources describing distinct patterns of family response to the challenges presented by a child’s chronic illness. Dr. Knafl is widely published and is recognized internationally as an expert in family and mixed-methods research. She serves as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health and to universities and researchers. She is on the editorial board Journal of Family Nursing and is an active IFNA member, serving as conference chair for the 11th and 12th International Family Nursing Conference.
Program / Event Description:
Family researchers face conceptual and methodological challenges related to defining family and treating the family as the unit of study. In this webinar, I will provide an overview of major approaches to family research and discuss options for defining family, key concepts and frameworks related to the intersection of family life and health, resources for data collection, and analytic strategies for treating the dyad or family as the unit of analysis. The presentation will focus on key decision points in developing a research proposal, with the intent of providing practical information for those planning to undertake a family study.
Learning Objectives:At the end of the session, participants should be able to:
1. Identify different approaches to family research and develop research questions/objectives consistent with each approach.
2. Propose a sample design that is grounded in an appropriate definition/conceptualization of family.
3. Access and apply resources for selecting suitable measures and analytic strategies for completing a family study.
